Author's Note: I just want to quickly say to Min that I hate this format
too, but I can't change it. I'm horrible with computers. When I tried to
put it into the form I wanted I lost the whole stupid chapter and had to re-
write it. That's okay though, cuz it came out better the second time.
Anyway, enjoy!
For the next two weeks Elizabeth and Dan were to accompany Luna to the hospital where they would do mundane tasks such as mopping floors and holding basins. The first two days Elizabeth did this alone, Dan was still recuperating. He joined her, however, on the fourth day and so they walked home together.
By this time, the three new rooms being added to Discipline had just been finished and Elizabeth had been informed that Dan would be moving in. (A/N: Corny, I know, but I wanted them to get closer and how better than making them live together? Hey, it worked for the Circle kids.) Elizabeth helped Dan move into his new room and then they went for a walk. Not really paying attention to where they were going, they suddenly found themselves standing on the beach. A silence fell over them as they both mentally relived the horrific events of that afternoon that felt a world away and yet was actually only days ago. Dan turned to Elizabeth.
"Look," He began, but she cut him off.
"Don't. Don't say anything." She said, looking down at her feet. He gently lifted her chin until her eyes met his.
"I need to. I need to thank you. I need to apologize. I need to talk. We went through something big. Something terrifying. And no one will talk about it. Well, I will." He sighed and let go of her. He sat down and she sat down opposite him. He was right, they couldn't just pretend it never happened, no matter how much she wanted to. The last thing she felt like doing was re-living this, but if she didn't do it now, she knew she'd have to do it later. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for their conversation.
"First, I want to say that I'm sorry. I don't know what possessed me to do such a thing. I was curious, and.and to be honest, I didn't believe that it was going to be dangerous. I mean, sure, I read about it, but it's much different to live it." A shadow passed over his face as he remembered. Elizabeth moved so she was next to him and put an arm around him.
"I know." She whispered, "And, believe it or not, I understand. In fact, I almost envied you when you started to walk into that water. I'd never have the guts to do that. I mean, maybe in this situation that was a good thing, but a lot of times I wish I could be more like you. So daring, so willing to do anything." Dan put his arm around her shoulders now and Elizabeth wondered for a moment if they looked like a couple, and if they did, were they a cute one?
"Me? Brave?" Dan replied. "You're the brave one. All I did was almost get us killed. You're a hero. You saved us. You took control of a seemingly hopeless situation, and turned it around. That's bravery." Elizabeth shook her head.
"No. If I were brave, I would have tried to stop you from the beginning. I didn't. Instead, I waited until things were totally out of control and the only thing I could do was stall the inevitable." Dan turned to her.
"Is that what you really think?" He asked, surprised. "Come on, we both know how stubborn I can be. And if I recall correctly, you did try and stop me. I believe I called you chicken. Sorry about that by the way." She smiled, but her face soon turned serious again.
"I hear hooves." She stated. She was seized with an unexplainable fear and quickly got up and ran to a nearby cluster of rocks to hide, Dan following, confused, behind her. Once they were both behind the rocks he gave her a quick look saying "What the hell are we doing?!" Elizabeth did, of course, realize that she was being pathetic. That's right, she thought to herself, run from the horses riding through a temple community. OF COURSE, they must be dangerous! Yes, temple community just SCREAMS danger to me! Nevertheless, she couldn't ignore her instincts. The horses stopped a few feet from their hiding spot. Elizabeth, ever the polite one, listened in on their conversation.
"What the hell are we doing here? This is INSANE. We can't kill someone from a temple community. And a mage no less!"
"Do we really have a choice? He'll kill us if we don't. And if we do it, remember the reward."
"How can you trust him? He's a murderer!"
"He may be a murderer, but he's our only chance."
"I still think it's insane. You've seen her at work. She's amazing. There's no WAY we can get by her magic."
"Like I said before, we're in too deep not to. We WILL die if we don't because we know too much. If we try it, we at least MIGHT get out alive. Now come on!" And with that, the horses were off again, bearing their riders with them. Dan and Elizabeth waited a few minutes before coming out again, to make sure they were really gone. They looked at each other and, in unspoken agreement, they both ran for all they were worth back to Discipline.
Half an hour later, Dan and Elizabeth were sitting in the living room looking at the faces of Rosethorn, Lark, Briar, and Tris. They had just told them everything they'd heard. Rosethorn recovered from the shock first.
"What did they look like?" She asked sharply.
"I don't know." Elizabeth admitted, "I never saw them. Dan?" Dan just shook his head, still quite shocked himself. "In fact, I couldn't even tell you what they sounded like. Not so much as whether they were male and female. The only thing I remember was their words." Dan nodded his agreement.
"Probably a spell." Rosethorn muttered. "I'll alert the guard and the council. I'm sure everything will be straightened out soon." With that she got up and left.
With a muttered comment about being tired, Elizabeth excused herself from the room. She sat the end of her bed. She wasn't really tired, just scared. Dan popped his head into her room and asked for permission to enter. She gave it and he came to sit next to her.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"I will be." She answered, "Just give me a minute. What about you?" He nodded.
"Just a little shaken up." He hesitated before adding, "Do you really think everything will be okay?" She was about to say that of course she did, but she stopped. After a moment she shook her head.
"I have no idea." Dan put his arm around her and she leaned into him, enjoying their closeness. She looked up at his face and saw an odd expression pass over it, but as soon as it had come it was gone. Does he feel what I feel? She wondered suddenly. No, she reprimanded herself. You're just his friend. But, she argued with herself, it usually starts that way. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and just enjoyed having his arm around her. She felt better when she was with him. When he held her like this she felt like she was totally safe, untouchable. She'd give almost anything to make him feel the same way. She was falling for him, and falling fast. She just hoped when she wouldn't hit the ground too hard if he didn't feel the same.
For the next two weeks Elizabeth and Dan were to accompany Luna to the hospital where they would do mundane tasks such as mopping floors and holding basins. The first two days Elizabeth did this alone, Dan was still recuperating. He joined her, however, on the fourth day and so they walked home together.
By this time, the three new rooms being added to Discipline had just been finished and Elizabeth had been informed that Dan would be moving in. (A/N: Corny, I know, but I wanted them to get closer and how better than making them live together? Hey, it worked for the Circle kids.) Elizabeth helped Dan move into his new room and then they went for a walk. Not really paying attention to where they were going, they suddenly found themselves standing on the beach. A silence fell over them as they both mentally relived the horrific events of that afternoon that felt a world away and yet was actually only days ago. Dan turned to Elizabeth.
"Look," He began, but she cut him off.
"Don't. Don't say anything." She said, looking down at her feet. He gently lifted her chin until her eyes met his.
"I need to. I need to thank you. I need to apologize. I need to talk. We went through something big. Something terrifying. And no one will talk about it. Well, I will." He sighed and let go of her. He sat down and she sat down opposite him. He was right, they couldn't just pretend it never happened, no matter how much she wanted to. The last thing she felt like doing was re-living this, but if she didn't do it now, she knew she'd have to do it later. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for their conversation.
"First, I want to say that I'm sorry. I don't know what possessed me to do such a thing. I was curious, and.and to be honest, I didn't believe that it was going to be dangerous. I mean, sure, I read about it, but it's much different to live it." A shadow passed over his face as he remembered. Elizabeth moved so she was next to him and put an arm around him.
"I know." She whispered, "And, believe it or not, I understand. In fact, I almost envied you when you started to walk into that water. I'd never have the guts to do that. I mean, maybe in this situation that was a good thing, but a lot of times I wish I could be more like you. So daring, so willing to do anything." Dan put his arm around her shoulders now and Elizabeth wondered for a moment if they looked like a couple, and if they did, were they a cute one?
"Me? Brave?" Dan replied. "You're the brave one. All I did was almost get us killed. You're a hero. You saved us. You took control of a seemingly hopeless situation, and turned it around. That's bravery." Elizabeth shook her head.
"No. If I were brave, I would have tried to stop you from the beginning. I didn't. Instead, I waited until things were totally out of control and the only thing I could do was stall the inevitable." Dan turned to her.
"Is that what you really think?" He asked, surprised. "Come on, we both know how stubborn I can be. And if I recall correctly, you did try and stop me. I believe I called you chicken. Sorry about that by the way." She smiled, but her face soon turned serious again.
"I hear hooves." She stated. She was seized with an unexplainable fear and quickly got up and ran to a nearby cluster of rocks to hide, Dan following, confused, behind her. Once they were both behind the rocks he gave her a quick look saying "What the hell are we doing?!" Elizabeth did, of course, realize that she was being pathetic. That's right, she thought to herself, run from the horses riding through a temple community. OF COURSE, they must be dangerous! Yes, temple community just SCREAMS danger to me! Nevertheless, she couldn't ignore her instincts. The horses stopped a few feet from their hiding spot. Elizabeth, ever the polite one, listened in on their conversation.
"What the hell are we doing here? This is INSANE. We can't kill someone from a temple community. And a mage no less!"
"Do we really have a choice? He'll kill us if we don't. And if we do it, remember the reward."
"How can you trust him? He's a murderer!"
"He may be a murderer, but he's our only chance."
"I still think it's insane. You've seen her at work. She's amazing. There's no WAY we can get by her magic."
"Like I said before, we're in too deep not to. We WILL die if we don't because we know too much. If we try it, we at least MIGHT get out alive. Now come on!" And with that, the horses were off again, bearing their riders with them. Dan and Elizabeth waited a few minutes before coming out again, to make sure they were really gone. They looked at each other and, in unspoken agreement, they both ran for all they were worth back to Discipline.
Half an hour later, Dan and Elizabeth were sitting in the living room looking at the faces of Rosethorn, Lark, Briar, and Tris. They had just told them everything they'd heard. Rosethorn recovered from the shock first.
"What did they look like?" She asked sharply.
"I don't know." Elizabeth admitted, "I never saw them. Dan?" Dan just shook his head, still quite shocked himself. "In fact, I couldn't even tell you what they sounded like. Not so much as whether they were male and female. The only thing I remember was their words." Dan nodded his agreement.
"Probably a spell." Rosethorn muttered. "I'll alert the guard and the council. I'm sure everything will be straightened out soon." With that she got up and left.
With a muttered comment about being tired, Elizabeth excused herself from the room. She sat the end of her bed. She wasn't really tired, just scared. Dan popped his head into her room and asked for permission to enter. She gave it and he came to sit next to her.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"I will be." She answered, "Just give me a minute. What about you?" He nodded.
"Just a little shaken up." He hesitated before adding, "Do you really think everything will be okay?" She was about to say that of course she did, but she stopped. After a moment she shook her head.
"I have no idea." Dan put his arm around her and she leaned into him, enjoying their closeness. She looked up at his face and saw an odd expression pass over it, but as soon as it had come it was gone. Does he feel what I feel? She wondered suddenly. No, she reprimanded herself. You're just his friend. But, she argued with herself, it usually starts that way. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and just enjoyed having his arm around her. She felt better when she was with him. When he held her like this she felt like she was totally safe, untouchable. She'd give almost anything to make him feel the same way. She was falling for him, and falling fast. She just hoped when she wouldn't hit the ground too hard if he didn't feel the same.